Study shows power of negative subliminal messages
New research shows that subliminal messaging is at its most powerful when it arouses a negative reaction. The findings, recently published in the journal Emotion, may have implications for how subliminal messages are used in areas such as advertising, public service announcements and safety campaigns. Often the subject of controversy, subliminal messaging is designed to affect the subconscious, rather than conscious, mind. The result can be a subsequent influence on thoughts, behaviour or actions. Until now, studies on subliminal messaging have only inferred whether or not the contents of a message affect a viewer. In this study, researchers looked at the positive or negative meanings of a subliminal message, and investigated how this might influence its effectiveness. Specifically, the researchers wanted to find out if negative words provoke a stronger response than positive words. Study participants were shown a series of words on a computer screen. Each word appeared for only a fraction of second, at a speed which was specifically designed to be too rapid for the participants to consciously read the word. Words were chosen by the researchers for their positive (e.g. cheerful, flower and peace), negative (e.g. agony, despair and murder) or neutral (e.g. box, ear or kettle) connotations. After each word, participants were asked to decide whether the word was neutral or 'emotional' (i.e. positive or negative), and how confident they were of their decision. The researchers found that the participants gave the most accurate answers when they responded to negative words. 'There has been much speculation about whether people can process emotional information unconsciously, for example pictures, faces and words,' commented Professor Nilli Lavie of University College London in the UK, who led the research. 'We have shown that people can perceive the emotional value of subliminal messages and have demonstrated conclusively that people are much more attuned to negative words. 'Clearly, there are evolutionary advantages to responding rapidly to emotional information,' she added. 'We can't wait for our consciousness to kick in if we see someone running towards us with a knife or if we drive under rainy or foggy weather conditions and see a sign warning 'danger'.' Previous research in subliminal messaging had raised a number of questions, including whether or not an emotional reaction led to enhanced perception or greater situational awareness. Understanding this could help pinpoint reactions in the general public which could be taken into consideration for such purposes as public awareness campaigns. ''Kill your speed' should be more noticeable than 'Slow down',' said Professor Lavie. 'More controversially, highlighting a competitor's negative qualities may work on a subliminal level much more effectively than shouting about your own selling points.'
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